Particle production in pp and Pb-Pb collisions with the ALICE experiment at the LHC

The performance and capabilities of the ALICE experiment allow to study the hadron pro­ duction over a wide range of momenta both in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. ALICE, with respect to the other LHC experiments, contributes especially with the measurement of identified particles, resonances and multi-strange baryons down to very low Pt. A review of the most recent results obtained in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV is reported. Transverse momentum spectra allow to characterize the dynamical evolution of the system produced in nuclear collisions, while production yields and ratios are discussed from a thermodynamical point of view. Results are finally compared to measurements at lower energies and predictions for the LHC.